Forsyth County

Woman's 'badly decomposed' body found near Lake Lanier

A woman's body was found by a fisherman Friday afternoon near Lake Lanier. Police said the body was "badly decomposed." GBI is investigating. (Photo submitted by Ben Hendren)

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A woman’s “badly decomposed” body was found Friday near Lake Lanier.

According to a spokesperson from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, a fisherman discovered the body just before noon near Bethel Park “partially in the water and partially on the beach.”

Investigators said the body appeared to be a female and was “badly decomposed.”

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab was called in to assist in the investigation. The woman’s remains were taken to the GBI lab in Decatur where authorities will try to determine an identity.

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Police did not say how long the body had been near the lake or what the woman’s likely cause of death was.

Freelance photographer Ben Hendren, 20, of South Forsyth, said he “heard the scanner going crazy” around noon Friday. He raced over to the park and snapped a photo of authorities handling the incident before the coroner arrived.

Our investigative partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and AJC.com contributed to this report.